Equinor Awards AW189 Contract to Milestone Aviation

Under a contract signed with European oil and gas operator Equinor, leasing company Milestone Aviation Group will purchase and lease back five new Leonardo AW189 super-medium helicopters. The first two deliveries will take place in 2025 followed by three in 2026.

Equinor will supplement its Sikorsky S-92 fleet with the AW189s as well as 10 Bell 525s that are scheduled for delivery starting in 2026. Lufttransport will operate the AW189s on passenger transport flights from Sola and Florø to the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). This agreement with Lufttransport is for seven years with options for an additional six years and it is valued (with options) at about NOK 7 billion ($4.34 billion). According to Equinor, the Milestone agreement is for “just over” NOK 2 billion, “for a contract duration of up to 20 years.”

“The safety of our employees who travel by helicopter is our utmost priority,” said Ørjan Kvelvane, Equinor senior v-p of operation and maintenance in exploration and production Norway. “New helicopters will make helicopter traffic more robust. Safe, predictable, and efficient transportation is crucial to safely maintain a high activity level on the NCS for many years to come.”